Hospitals 'liable for superbug spread'

Last updated at 14:31 15 May 2005


Hospitals could be held 有罪に liable if 患者s catch superbugs, Health 長官 Patricia Hewitt has said.

Ms Hewitt said a "much stronger 合法的な 枠組み" was needed. She said it could not be 権利 that hygiene 法律s were tougher in food factories than in hospitals.

She said 訪問者s also had a 責任／義務 to stop the spread of bugs such as MRSA.

Ms Hewitt said: "We need a much stronger 合法的な 枠組み and we'll be 協議するing on that in a couple of months' time."

Asked on ITV1's Jonathan Dimbleby Programme if that meant hospitals could be held 有罪に liable if 患者s acquired 感染s there she said: "That's what we're looking at."

She 追加するd: "We can't have a 状況／情勢 where we've got tougher hygiene 法律s and 基準s in food factories than we have for people who are very, very 本気で ill in hospital."

Ms Hewitt said it would be "absurd" to 軍隊 everyone on a 決まりきった仕事 visit to a hospital 区 to wear gloves and masks. But she said 訪問者s had a 責任／義務.

Ms Hewitt also 示すd 私的な 会社／堅いs could be given an even greater 役割 in the NHS.

She 誘発するd 論争 last week when she 発表するd 私的な providers would be carrying out an extra 1.7 million 操作／手術s for the NHS over the next five years, at a cost of £3billion.

Today she said the 私的な 部門 could also play a bigger part in 最初の／主要な care.

Ms Hewitt said the 独立した・無所属 部門 could 供給する more walk-in centres. She said the central 問題／発行する was "what is going to work for 患者s".

"The important 原則 - 解放する／自由な at the point of need and then let's look at what 患者s need and how do we best 配達する that," she said.

Ms Hewitt said there was nothing wrong with giving the 私的な 部門 a greater 役割 in the NHS.

"We're bringing the 私的な 部門 in where we need them. Both to give us more capacity and get those waiting 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）s 負かす／撃墜する but also to give us even more 革新 than we've already go t."

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